But not where I live. I and all my friends are okay, if a bit sick of dark sky and ash in the nostrils. The soil will be rich when all this is over.
Some people I know have been evacuated, but we won't know how much damage is done till it's over -- probably it'll take at least another day or more to put it out, the fire chief says. We need air support and we don't have it.
Gah, a life full of smoke is JUST what I need. *sneeze*
But we're okay. I thought you'd like to hear.
...
The lights keep flickering, somone on the San Diego LJ community is talking about brown-outs. I sure hope we keep power, it's enough like an old-time storm watch as it is. I bet the grocery stores are being bombarded by bottled-water and canned-food hoarders. Bet they're not striking today.
The only sound is the hum of the lights, the breathing of my computer, and my typing and sniffling, punctuated with a sneeze or a cough.
It feels a little like sitting out a white-out at Burning Man, but the smell is different. It's a nice wood-smoke smell, really ... just pervasive, as is the ash-dust. The outdoor "decompression" party is cancelled, due to the site being burned. I bet it looks like Hell.
I'm in the mood for apocalyptic movies -- but I may watch some episodes of Jim Henson's Stoyteller instead.
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 4:22 PM
Subject: Re: San Diego is on fire...
> Hi Scott...
>
> Are you ok out there? It looks like the smoke is awful. Let me know what
> you see, feel and hear...
>
> Love, MOM
>
>
Still okay -- the smoke is better today -- flying higher, at least, so while it's never brighter than dusk, the air is more breathable. As the wind shifts, more homes are threatened, but no one I know is homeless yet.
The sun is magenta, people are walking around with dust maks on, and it's very quiet outside. People are edgy, snappish, like any group suffering from cabin fever. Athsmatics are going to hospitals or staying with relatives in air-conditioned homes. The pets seem dismayed at the amount of dust and soot.
Everything is still covered in a fine coat of soot. Inside and out, as no houses in San Diego are very weather proof. There's no point in cleaning it up, it'll just get worse.
The smell is better -- yesterday the dump was burning and it smelled pretty bad. Today it's more like clean woodsmoke, but there's a plastic smell in the wind, too. The houses are all stuffy from having the doors and windows closed futilely against smoke.
When I took a shower, for a moment, I reveled in a new, familiar smell other than smoke and ash. Just for a moment, though.
The mood is tense, but we're all getting on with getting on.
~~S.